Smoke: How a Small-Town Girl Accidentally Wound Up Smuggling 7,000 Pounds of Marijuana with the Pot Princess of Beverly Hills – An Electrifying True Story of Vice and Lost Innocence

by Meili Cady

Combining the excess of The Bling Ring with the intimacy of Blow and the charm of Catch Me If You Can , an outrageous, entertaining and true story of an aspiring young actress’ ill-fated friendship and unwitting alliance with a drug smuggling “heiress.” Aspiring actress Meili Cady left small-town Washington State for the glamorous lure of Los Angeles. Young and alone, she was struggling to make her big break. Then she met Lisette Lee. Calling herself the “Korean Paris Hilton,” Lisette claimed she was a model and a Korean pop star, lived in a $1.2 million dollar apartment in West Hollywood, owned a fleet of luxury cars, and flitted from one red-carpet event to the next. The connection was instant. Meili was enchanted by her friend’s extravagant lifestyle, while Lee claimed Meili was the real thing in a town full of phonies. Soon, the financially strapped Meili became her friend’s personal assistant—and found herself sucked into an audacious criminal enterprise. But when Meili finally realized what she was a part of it was too late—she was in too deep, caught in a terrifying relationship with a manipulative and abrasive con artist smuggling millions of dollars of pot into the Midwest. Trapped in a precarious criminal world of money, drugs, and dangerous secrets, Meili struggled to understand the line between truth and lie. A once naive girl who fell down the rabbit hole, she could only watch helplessly as it all came crashing down around her. Smoke is her story—an electrifying tale of vice, corruption, hubris, and lost innocence as shocking and entertaining as The Wolf of Wall Street and Bringing Down the House.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Memoir, Audiobook, Biography

272 pages, Paperback

First published March 24, 2015

Reviews

[Sheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I that this was a very interesting read. I really liked the way the author told her story. It was honest and really showed her as the naive young girl she was. I've read other reviews that start,"How can anyone be that naive." Easy I could see myself and my friends at that age getting pulled into something like that. We come from sheltered childhood were things like that would never occur to us. We are warned about men taking advantage us and things but not someone that comes on like they are our friend when we are desperately needing a friend.
Ms. Cady did find out what was going on but really didn't see a way out of it. By that time it was already to late. I thought she did the right thing in the end. She was victimized by a predator; believe me they can be male or female. I really enjoyed this book and think others who read it will get an eye opener about who some people sweep down on you at your lowest and take you for everything they can.

[Corinna Fabre · Rating 2 out of 5]

Smoke tells the story of a naive Washingtonian who follows her dreams to LA in hopes of becoming a big screen star and instead finds her fifteen minutes of fame through a mugshot, a ton of marijuana and a faux heiress (a faux-ess?). Her stories border on unbelievable and flirt with ignorant and after reading the story it's hard to decide if Meili should be pitied or taken with a grain of salt. While the book often doesn't ring true it also has a way of sucking you in and making you invested in the story line enough that, on more than one occasion, I caught myself referring to characters as if I actually knew them. An entertaining and quick read, Smoke is a fun book for a when you want to avoid thinking...at all.

[Katie]

I'm not sure how I feel about this book. In some ways it was interesting, but it was also annoying. I always cringe to myself when a "character" (or real person in this case) lacks complete common sense in a if someone asks you to jump and you say 'how high?' kinda way without exercising independent judgment/choice. Or when someone is so starved for approval and validation from another person they will do almost anything to get it.

I felt embarrassed for this girl's poor decisions. Granted she was very young when it happened, but even in my teens and twenties I never made decisions as terrible as hers. With that said, I feel like a jerk for being so judgmental as everyone makes mistakes....some more detrimental than others. And perhaps I have more insight and foresight into just how crappy her decisions were because of the fact that I am well skilled in bullshit detectors, intuition about people, and the fact that I've had extensive training and experience with helping people who can be pretty out there mentally and emotionally (ie, 10 years as a mental health and addictions therapist).

I did appreciate her honesty and authenticity in what must have been a hard narrative to relive and write.

[Cindy H. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I fell for the tittle, which happens to be the most creative part of this ridiculous tale. It is mind boggling that someone could be so naïve, lonely and desperate for friendship that they would subject themselves to such a one sided abusive relationship.
Meili Cady was young and innocent arriving in LA with stars in her eyes. She befriends a seemingly wealthy girl who refers to herself as the Korean Paris Hilton. An heiresses and diva pop star with prestigious family connections, Lisette Lee convinces Meili to become her personal assistant.
Smoke is not nearly as authentic or interesting as Piper Kerman's memoir, Orange is the New Black. I goggled Lisette Lee and found a very well written article from Rolling Stone Magazine which covers the scandal and aftermath. I recommend you read that and pass on this poorly written memoir.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This IS how naive people get jacked up into the exciting world of drug trafficking. Unfortunately, it's short-lived because mules such as these are getting easier and easier to catch. I found it very credible and, there by the Grace of God, go I.

[Ginny Nemchick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Basically a 250 page tabloid article by one of the least self aware authors I've encountered, but fine for reading when you are stuck in a hospital or on your back porch with a beer?

[Joanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

If I had a quarter for every time Meili Cady said something like "l should have known" or "This didn't seem quite right" (you get the gist), I would have got my money back from this book. This self-serving, self-exonerating piece of fluff is simply infuriating. After 4 years in L.A., she still hadn't found any job that could pay the rent? She'd go months without hearing from Lisette and yet jump through the hoops immediately? Please, don't insult my intelligence, which I'm already questioning just for finishing this book. This isn't even a decent cautionary tale, because Cady basically got a slap on the wrist for all her felonious behaviour. What a waste of time.

[Jill Lucas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was a hoot. I kept doubting it's reality...it felt like a summertime beach read. I feel almost guilty being entertained by someone's tragedy - although it seems the author has a light-hearted view of the whole situation. For me, this was an airport pick, and I couldn't put it down. Light, entertaining, jaw-dropping crazy on occasion. I was curious enough to Google the whole incident afterwards and look at the author's blog...haha!

[Heather Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was a really good book, didn’t want to stop reading it. All around great book.

[Tanya · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s pretty easy to tell how this girl wound up smuggling pot. So naive and privileged. She spoke of how degrading the process was before she received her sentencing- yet you knew she was going to get away without a long sentence, or basically any real consequences. She wrote the book as if she didn’t realize she actually committed crimes. There did not seem to be any real remorse, she didn’t seem to have any awareness of how her situation could have been vastly different if she wasn’t white or a woman.

When she overheard the DEA cop saying that she was the stupidest woman he had ever met- I really don’t think she proved him wrong when she wrote this book. Your boyfriend knew you really well because he bought you a regular Gucci wallet instead of one with logos all over it? The whole stabbing the teddy bear scene was so cringey. Ben was very smart to distance himself from you. You couldn’t tell that your best friend was a fraud, even though her ex literally told you that she was a liar, you never doubted her on anything? She fell for the most basic types of manipulation and had no critical thinking or basic life skills whatsoever.

[Teena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice try, Meili Cady.

This book is completely unbelievable solely from the standpoint that a regular girl from Washington could meet a new, filthy rich friend and actually believe she's a Samsung heiress. The idea that she would have let her snotty "friend" employ her then treat her like crap is equally unbelievable.

It's a fabulous story but I'm not buying the "I was so naive" shtick at all.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finding this book at the library was an accident. I gave it a shot because I loved both High Achiever by Tiffany Jenkins and Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman. Both were fantastic memoirs and I highly recommend them. The blurb on Smoke made me think of those so I checked it out. If you like true crime revolving around drugs and things, give this one a shot. I liked it and it was really interesting.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book surprised me, I expected the author to be a jaded L.A. type but she was truly a small town, quite naive, young woman who was totally snowed by Lisette Lee (total sociopath). It was a real page turner.

[Taryn Robinson-Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

The amount of details she could recall made it seem more like an enticing tell then her actually story. In all honesty I cried, I laughed and I felt. I loved it and just wish there was more information. I couldn’t get enough

[Cassidy Gistinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was pretty good. I really can’t believe all the lies Meili believed and what she went through. Situations can blind you sometimes though. So curious what these “best friends” are up to now and if they’ll ever talk again!

[Rebekah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted this to be interesting, but there was no real payoff, nothing that talked about what she learned, and it just seemed to be the story of a very naive young woman who was involved in some problematic relationships.

[Tiffy L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really interesting story. My only problem is that the author is really naive and spineless

[Dominique MacKay · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book. I felt like it was a claim of innocence there is no way someone is this naive & clueless. Just wasn’t as exciting as I had hoped for.

[MJ Chadwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting book. I had to remind myself that it wasn’t fiction.

[Lyss · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my comfort book for some reason I read it once a year. I always feel like I’m in the main characters head, I think the story was written very well.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Smoke was roughly written (clearly this is Cadys' first novel). I still gave it three stars for effort. As a Washington transplant Meili Cady finds herself introduced to a girl of seemingly significant wealth and privilege via a male acquaintance. This girl was known as Lisette Lee, an early 20's asian model type with a champagne/caviar lifestyle (Rolls, private jets, branded clothes, etc..). Strangely, this seemingly arrogant diva takes a liking to the typical struggling early 20's wanna be actress type that presents as Meili Cady. She offers a sampling of her 'good life' in small doses (just enough to entice Cady and keep her in the fold). She even dubs Cady her newly minted bff. Cady may be the proclaimed actress however, Lee proves more successful in such efforts, managing to dupe her entourage. She is entrenched with the Samsung heiress persona and has the look and lifestyle down to a science. In reality she was essentially a bastard child of a supposed Samsung CEO and her illicit affair with a prominent Japanese Casino mob boss. The friendship chinks in armor should have shown for Cady. First off: she is drowning in debt and asks her friend to borrow 1k. She is quickly denied (suspect when she probably spends that on gas monthly to drive her gas guzzling vehicles). Clearly her 'bff' sees Cady struggling and offers her nothing. All kinds of red flags should have proceeded this revelation however, Cady chose to ignore them. She simply forges on. Soon after, she is duped again as she receives a token of Lees' friendship in the form of a 'precious' ring. I know this sounds jaded but if someone gave me anything of high dollar value, I would have that baby appraised and insured asap (I lose everything). That is not a matter of mistrust but pure logic. Sadly, Cady missed that opportunity and Lee went on with her deceit and lies allowing the facade to continue. The clues just keep coming and Cady just keeps ignoring. The final factor was Cadys' agreement to have money wired for short periods of time through her bank. This action was rewarded with 1500.00 three day 'work trips' complete with private planes and hotel room exchanges. Cady lightly questions Lee and she quickly snaps (should have been a final straw for the dense Cady). Additionally, this 'work' was supposed to bring in 2k however, Lee justifies this as too much since the other 'members' of Lees' work entourage were getting significantly less and drops her pay by 500.00. I kept reading out of pure disbelief that anyone could be this naive/stupid/greedy. Even people interviewing her about the book(see online)are almost mocking Cady with her lack of insight to all the signs of illicit behavior from her friend. She smirks and looks into the camera: "yes, I made some stupid decisions" (ya think?!). I do get that Lee was a point of fascination and intrigue for her but the minute someone asks to transfer/wire money, she should have been high tailing it out of there. Bff or not this is simply pure logic.
I am curious as to what happens between them when Lee completes her jail time. Will she write her memoir? Will she seek retribution from her ex friend for profiting from what could partly be construed as her story? I read that Smoke was optioned for a movie. I do not think this story was intriguing or entertaining enough to make into a movie but I digress...neither was Ring Bling (similar ilk) . The encapsulated version is online and told in around 20 minutes. It speaks to Lees' side of events and really says it all. This is not a deep read but an entertaining one if you don't dig too deep.

[Sandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Taking advantage of OITNB a little? I'm sorry, but if you dance with the devil at some point you need to pay the Piper (pun intended).

Seriously, millennial girl, when did you ever think it was legal, right, moral and just to keep funneling tens of thousands of dollars through your checking account? Or buy Febreeze to throw into suitcases of pot to deliver across the country? Seriously.

And then you get to write a book about how difficult it was being the friend of an obviously not 100% sane person, rat out her team, avoid prison and make money off the deal.

Hmmmm. Nice lesson for the next generation.

I gave the book two stars not because of the subject matter, but because it was difficult to follow at times. Even if the author had a ghost writer, she obviously couldn't maintain and it got hard to figure out where she was, who she was trying to be, and what she was trying to lie about. If that was the intent, it came through loud and clear, but then the book could have been written in a different person.

[Kennedy Cornish · Rating 2 out of 5]

A girl, Meili Cady from Bremerton, Washington moved to Las Angels. She met a friend from her acting class whose name was Lisette. Lisette, always talked about having an awesome life, with party boats, and more money than Meili could imagine. One day Lisette asked Meili to work for her, and she just had to simply deposit money in a bank account. Meili, though this was great she would be paid, thousands of dollars for depositing thousands of dollars. Until, Lisette showed her who she was working with (large, Mexican men), with big suitcases Meili never thought anything was wrong. One day she hoped on a plane, to deliver the suitcases, when a fight broke out and she found Marijuana. 7,000 pounds of Marijuana to be exact. That’s when she knew what her real job was., and that she was in too deep to do anything about it.

[Reby Parsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, this book is an incredibly easy and fun read. I was captivated by the author and main character's, Meili, overly naive personality and gullibility specifically in regards to her best friend, Lisette, the self-proclaimed Samsung heiress and Pot Princess of Beverly Hills. Meili and Lisette's relationship is abusive at best. However, with that said, I really wanted to know more about Lisette's lies and deception to Meili and the rest of Team LL. Meili fell for Lisette's lies and stories hook, line, and sinker and it would have been nice to know Meili's reactions when she discovered the horrible deceptions perpetrated by her supposed "best friend".

After finishing the book I took a look at Meili's blog (housearrestgirl.com) that she wrote during her year of house arrest and found it to be fairly interesting also.

[Kristen Schrader (Wenke) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really didn't care about the 100 pages about her trying to make it as an actress in LA. I understand that the author is giving me background to her desperation an telling her life story, but I didn't need 100 pages of it.
When I finally got to the "Pot Princess" stuff, it was interesting, although the author tends to paint herself as perfect and it got a little annoying.
I was disappointed in the "post arrest" ending as well. It seems as if she lost interest, when I had so many unanswered questions.
Did Lisette have anything to do with Samsung?
Why Ohio?
But she did have SOME money before becoming a drug dealer, right? Where did that come from?
What was with the random supernatural chapter?

[Terrance Zepke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was fascinated by this story. Throughout this book, I couldn't tell if Cady was truly naive and as stupid as she makes herself out to be or if she was faking it so as to make herself look better to her family and friends and the U.S. government. While she admitted to knowing that she was a drug smuggler, she downplayed her involvement by saying that she didn't realize exactly what she was doing for a long time and didn't realize many other things that seemed glaringly obviously--at least to me.

Regardless of whether you believe she was innocent for the most part (duped and manipulated by Lissette, who she believed was her best friend) or whether she is far savvier than she presents herself, you will be fascinated with her story.

This book is well written and quite compelling.

[Christina McKee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am flabbergasted by how naive and gullible this woman was...

[Sandralk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy Crap, what an amazing ride!

First a Thanks to Goodreads as I woman advanced copy awhile back. It's always difficult to decide which book I want to read next.

This book is a nonfiction account of what happens when a small town high school graduate moves to LA and meets a a new friend.

I want to write a decent review rather than by the seat of my pants as I literally finished the book a few minutes ago.

Stay tuned for my follow up.

[Lisa Mcbroom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meli Cady came from a small town in Washington to make it as an actress. While there she met Lisette Lee allegedly a heiress to the Samsung Corporation. In reality Lisette Lee was a sociopath who took advantage of naive people. Taking on Meli as a personal assitant, she unwittingly flys suitcases of marijuana for Lee. It bogs my mind someone could be that naive. However I enjoyed descriptions of LA.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was extremely hard to put down. While the content was unbelievable, you just had to know what was going to happen. This book made you want to look everything up to make sure it was in deed a work of facts. I would most definitely recommend this read to anyone. Congrats to Meili on such a fantastic book!